EU imposes definitive dumping duties on Chinese steel tube imports

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BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union has imposed definitive anti-dumping duties on Chinese and Taiwanese imports of stainless steel tubes and pipe butt-welding fittings to protect its industry from steel overcapacity.

Workers are seen through a steel tube at a steel products market in Hefei, Anhui province September 20, 2011. REUTERS/Stringer

An investigation found Chinese and Taiwanese manufacturers had sold stainless steel tube and pipe butt-welding fittings in Europe at dumped prices, the European Commission said in a notice published in the official journal on Friday.

Chinese imports will be taxed with anti-dumping duties of 30.7 to 64.9 percent while Taiwanese imports will face duties of 5.1 to 12.1 percent.

China’s Commerce Ministry said it had “serious doubts” about the decision, which had severely harmed the interests of Chinese companies, adding such protectionist moves would only damage global trade.

“China is willing to strengthen exchanges and communication with the EU side, to appropriately resolve the issues facing the steel industry at the moment,” it said.

The products are used to join pipes and tubes of stainless steel, and are used in industries including petrochemicals, food processing, shipbuilding, energy generation and construction, the European Commission said.

King Lai Hygienic Materials Co. will be taxed at 5.1 percent on its imports to the EU while Zhejiang Good Fittings Co. will face a duty of 55.3 percent.

The Commission said it has an unprecedented number of trade defenses in place targeting unfair imports of steel products, with a total of 39 anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures, 17 of which are on products originating from China.

The EU has imposed anti-dumping duties on several Chinese steel products such as cold-rolled flat steel and stainless steel cold-rolled flat products.

It has also opened investigations into Chinese imports of heavy plate, hot-rolled, iron or steel seamless pipes.